On September 18, 1895, in Davenport, Iowa, something happened that would change the course of health care forever.

D.D. Palmer, the founder of chiropractic, was working with a man named Harvey Lillard, a janitor in the building where Palmer practiced. Lillard had been experiencing significant hearing difficulty for many years. Palmer learned that Lillard had injured his back and noticed what he believed to be an abnormality in the spine. Palmer examined the area and delivered what became known as the first chiropractic adjustment.

Lillard’s hearing improved following the adjustment.

Palmer did not simply see this as a treatment for a man’s ears. He believed he had discovered something much bigger.

He began asking a fundamental question: Could interference with the nervous system affect the body’s ability to function?

That question became the foundation of chiropractic.

The word chiropractic comes from Greek roots meaning “done by hand.” From the beginning, chiropractic focused on the relationship between the spine, the nervous system, and the body’s ability to function.

Over the years, chiropractic has continued to develop. Today, we understand the nervous system as the body’s primary communication and control network, connecting the brain with every part of the body. The spine protects and structurally supports much of that system.

Chiropractic is not about chasing symptoms. It is about caring for the nervous system and helping the body function as well as it can.

People come to chiropractic for many different reasons. They may have back pain, neck pain, headaches, injuries, poor posture, or simply want to maintain their health. But the philosophy of chiropractic reaches beyond any one complaint.

A healthy nervous system is essential to a healthy individual.

That does not mean an adjustment is a cure for every condition. It means that the nervous system deserves chiropractic care because it plays a central role in everything the body does.

That idea was at the heart of chiropractic in 1895—and it remains at the heart of principled chiropractic today at Adjust.

The first adjustment was performed on one person, but the idea behind it has reached millions.

For more than 130 years, chiropractic has asked us to look beyond the symptom and consider the person as a whole.

At Adjust, we celebrate that original idea. We believe every individual deserves a nervous system that is functioning at its best and a health-care approach that recognizes the incredible ability of the human body to adapt, heal, and thrive.

Happy Founders’ Day—and here’s to you for participating in chiropractic, the safest healthcare option available today.